WASHINGTON, D.C. – Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, issued the following statement Thursday in response to the decision by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to rollback protections for transgender individuals against employment discrimination:
“The text of Title VII, federal case law, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission all support interpreting and applying Title VII’s prohibition on sex discrimination to cover the stark discrimination faced by transgender individuals. Transgender individuals are among some of our nation’s most vulnerable communities and they experience discrimination in virtually every area of life based on their sex. Attorney General Sessions’ actions today only further reinforce his hostility to civil rights and show that he is determined to roll back the fragile gains that have been made.
“Three months ago Attorney General Sessions convened a summit on hate crimes. Since that convening, he has done nothing to activate the Civil Rights Division or protect vulnerable populations including the LGBTQ community. Senators who care about civil rights must press Attorney General Sessions on this issue when he appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee in two weeks.”
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a Communities Against Hate partner, leads the Stop Hate Project. The Stop Hate Project works to strengthen the capacity of community leaders, local government, law enforcement, and organizations around the country to combat hate by connecting these groups with legal and social services resources and creating new ones in response to identified needs. The Project’s resource and reporting hotline for hate incidents, 1-844-9-NO-HATE (1-844-966-4283), connects people and organizations combating hate with the resources and support they need.
About the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. Now in its 54th year, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is continuing its quest “Move America Toward Justice.” The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice for all, particularly in the areas of criminal justice, fair housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities, and voting rights.
